Mothers talk about their mentally ill sons

California is a state that has a strong belief in patient rights. It sounds like a good and reasonable theory until you talk to the mothers of severely mentally ill children. Dale Milfay and Pamela Fischer are executives in the San Francisco chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They told us the story of their sons, both in their 30s, and their struggles to live in a system that seems to have no place for them.

Dale Milfay has tried everything to help her son, Andre. However, last January, after repeated threats of violence, Andre had an emotional outburst and attacked his mother. She tells us the story here.

Pamela Fischer is characteristic of the parents who experience this problem. Her son was not only successful, he was an extremely bright student in high school. But, as often happens in these cases, he began to experience problems in his late teens. Now he desperately needs help when he spins out of control.